As many of my close friends know, I have recently gone a little green. Not green with envy (though I do envy every single person still in college); green like the plants and the trees and all the good things that make this planet so beautiful.

Oy. Now I sound like I’ve gone a little granola too.

Anyways, I have become quite conscious of the effects I have on the environment and have been taking strides to change. I have made small changes – like bringing my own travel mug to coffee shops – and I have made big changes – like replacing my gas guzzler with a more fuel efficient, Jetta.

I haven’t always been this way. In fact, it took a little man named Al Gore to really make me stop and smell the roses…and realize that my giant SUV and constant runs to Starbucks could make those roses obsolete one day soon. And even though people make fun of me for being earthy (like my paper-plate loving brother) or hate me for forcing new conservation tactics (like my printer loving bosses), I really do feel like I am making a difference. Read More »

There are a lot of things about France that, despite trying hard to understand, I just can’t wrap my head around. First—tight pants. The men there wear the tightest pants you have ever seen, and it is not cute. Not at all. In fact, it’s really disturbing.

Second—Serge Gainsbourg. Monsieur Gainsbourg is a French icon—a singer, songwriter, film writer, philanderer, sex god. Actually you might as well think of him as the second coming of the Messiah. People there worship him, and I can’t quite figure out why.

I haven’t heard a ton of his music—French music is another thing that I don’t get. It’s almost good… but not so much. And Serge is just about the farthest thing from sexy that I can imagine. Ok—in his younger years he wasn’t so bad, but I imagine he wore really tight pants too.

His daughter Charlotte, on the other hand, personifies French beauty. She is just stunning. And talented. Serge rocketed young Charlotte to fame at the tender age of 13 by recording a duet with her called Lemon Incest. Yup, you read that right.

He also wrote a film for his young daughter in which she was stripped down, and crawls seductively into bed with her loving, doting father, The whole thing is just weird. Which makes it kind of amazing that she seems so normal now.

Charlotte has been acting in French films for decades now winning awards all over the place. Check out The Science of Sleep if you’d like to see her acting chops—the movie is great and she stars opposite the adorable Gael Garcia Bernal.

In the 80’s she recorded her first solo album, and since then has made numerous appearances on others artist’s records. She sang backup on Badly Drawn Boy’s Have You Fed the Fish, and appears in Madonna’s What It Feels Like for A Girl (she does the spoken intro).

But she finally released another solo album—5:55—and in my opinion, it’s beautiful. Charlotte is shy on the mic—apparently in order to record, she had to sing with a sheet over her head That shyness comes through, but it makes the album somewhat mysterious, and haunting. It’s almost as if Charlotte is letting you in on a little secret. Read More »

Remember senior superlatives? Ya know, who was best dressed, most outgoing, best looking, etc? Everyone wanted to be voted one of the top people in their class. (Yea, I got voted the Miss Congeniatlity of my sorority — What? I’m not afraid to give myself a little pat on the back.)

Well, ladies, the list that ALL of the Hollywood elite want to be on just hit the web today: The Forbes Celebrity 100. Unlike most celeb compilations, this one has nothing to do with hottness or ugliness for that matter. You have to be not only rich, but really powerful to be on this guy. Seriously, it’s the ultimate ‘A’ list.

I wasn’t surprised to see Oprah at #1. She is the shit and she makes a buttload of cash. But what I found hilarious and awesome was the fact that all of Hollywoods bad girls (i.e. Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears) didn’t make the cut. Sorry girls, I guess you aren’t as powerful as you thought.

Photos of the Top 20 after the Jump.

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I got to thinking about Britney Spears, ironically, because of Stalin. I was sitting in my dorm in New Hampshire, newly painted toenails kicked up on my cluttered desk, leaning dangerously back in my chair, thinking about scapegoats and reading “Darkness at Noon”.

I don’t know if you’ve read this book, but it’s a little…dark…to say the least. But to make a long story short, this Russian guy is being interrogated deep in the bowels of Siberia somewhere, confessing to a bunch of crazy crimes. The big bad policeman, Ivanov or something equally Eastern European is telling the poor guy that history always needs scapegoats.

So what’s this have to do with Ms. Britney Crazy Pants-No Hair-Married a Doucebag Spears? Everything. Do you remember the good old days when we were all wearing cropped shirts (ew…were those good old days?) and singing along to “Hit Me Baby One More Time” back in 1998? Read More »

Madonna/Esther and her new clothing line will be premiering at H&M stores on March 22. POPSUGAR is covering this launch quite extensively, but it breeds a much more important question. I’m not sure I care? Truth be told, I am a material girl in a material world – but I feel like ’someone’ is starting to get a little tiring.

Do not get me wrong, when I am 80 I hope I look half as good as she does…(ouch)

But after the Kaballah, the children’s books, A League of their Own, and that dreadful CastAway rip-off movie – I am just not feeling her. These are just my feelings and if I am off-base, I have been known to be wrong before.

Imagine a day without a bumbling Britney headline. Sounds like a bit of heaven, amiright? Well today is not that day I am sad to say. As I was scanning the web this morning for a juicy little nugget -0-info, I came across a pretty good argument on bumpshack.com that the recent rebellious rehab-er’s plunge from grace all began with a little kiss. Have a looksee.

1. Quickie Las Vegas marriage to Jason Alexander (January 3, 2004)
2. Injured her knee during the filming of her music video Outrageous (June 2004)
3. Begins dating Kevin Federline (June 2004)
4. Marries white trash prince Kevin Federline (October 6, 2004)
5. UPN reality TV show Britney & Kevin Chaotic (Spring 2005)
6. Releases her (sure sign a career is over) Greatest Hits Album (2004)
7. Photographed driving with Sean Preston in her lap (February 2006)
8. Madonna ends friendship with Brit due to her leaving Kabbalah (June 2006)

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As I patiently await the arrival of the Material Girl’s collection for H&M, I couldn’t help but take a sneak peak on hm.com.

After using up about an hour of my valued facebook time, I finally made my way through H&M’s slow website. I have decided Madonna should stick to her day job.

It’s clear Madonna is not a clothing designer. Her clothes seem to go from ridiculous (a catsuit? A turban?) to extremely boring. Do we really need another little black dress or a white pant suit? She also seems to love thick belts and cropped pants that fall right below the knee. I know she loves riding horses but I don’t have a need for riding pants.

The M by Madonna collection is also far from the normally affordable H&M price tags. I mean there are some items I am considering buying, like a white trench, and a sequence mod dress, but they’re a little pricey.

Once images of the collection are available I will give an update, but in the meantime check out the collection here.

If I forget to bring my iPod to the gym, I lose all motivation, talk myself out of my usual 30 minute run on the treadmill and proceed to eat unneccessary amounts of junk food.

Hey, I need rockin’ tunes to get me going. Which is why I always update my playlists, so that I can get excited about hitting the cardio machines.

Here’s my latest mix:

1. Justin Timberlake – What Goes Around, Comes Around

2. Nelly Furtado - All Good Things

3. The Killers – When You Were Young

4. Madonna – I Love New York

5. Cake – Short Skirt, Long Jacket

6. Gwen Stefani – The Sweet Escape

7. Eric Prydz – Call On Me

8. The Pixies – Where Is My Mind

9. Sublime – Santeria

10. Kelly Clarkson – Since You Been Gone

11. Citizen Cope – Brother Lee

12. Jojo - Too Little Too Late